While Florence was slightly reduced in strength earlier from 140 mph winds, meteorologists expect the hurricane to jump back to a Category 4 by Thursday morning. Forecasters predict the storm will make landfall Thursday night or sometime on Friday.

In addition to the hurricane-strength winds blowing ashore Friday, Florence has the potential to bring a storm surge upwards of 6 feet in parts of the coastline including up to 13 feet from Cape Fear north to Cape Lookout.

The hurricane could also produce heavy and excessive rainfall — up to 40 inches in isolated areas in the Carolinas and anywhere between 6 to 12 inches elsewhere in the Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic region.